Washover, cutter, and fish removing tool



March* 21, 195i) w. H. DUMBLE 2,501,319

WASHOVER, CUTTR, AND FISH REMOVING TOOL Filed July 3, 1945 Patented Mar.21,- `195 UNITED s'm'rssA PATENT OFFICE `iVlSHIVER', CUTTZIITJ FI`SHREMVIN G williamk H. Dumme, Bakersfield, Calif. Application July 3,1945Serial No. 603,013

l Claims.

This invention is a well fish washing, cutting and removing tool foroper-ations in oil-or other Wells or well holes.

` When a part of a well rig operating string becomes lost in the well orhole being drilled or otherwise treated the lost part is called a sh andit is very desirable that as much of. they fishl or all of itV beextracted from the Well as is possible. The fish may be jammed in thehole because of many reasons well known in the art and sometimes merelyWashing over the stuck sh will free it for recovery, and in other'casesthe fish is so frozen in the hole that it must be cut into one cr moreparts for extraction. And again ordinary iishing operations and knowntools fail to recover much if any of the sh because of inaccessibilityor because of the nature of the agent jamming the iish in the hole.

Therefore, one object of this invention is to provide not only for ampleWashover operations on the fish ybut additionally to provide, incombination, a means lfor cutting away external and internalobstructions that Amay eifectively interfere with thesuccessful descentof the fishing tool to the fish.

Another object of the invention is to provide v a fishing tool havingiish cutting bits which are normally in an ineffective position in ahousing structure of the tool and which are thrown into cutting positionby means of a positive sh bit or grabbing dog device enabling the use'ofthe toolv on. either a flush lsurface sh (a tube orfstem or pipesection) or on a sh' thatfmayhave' shoulders along its length, andbymeans o-fwhich dog device certain fish cutters, reierredpto above ascutting bits, are indirectly set in" cutting posi tion of theworkorsh.L.

Aiurther object is to provide anl automatic latching device whereby tolock; the dog device:

in a given shifted position in the .toolphousing to maintain the cuttersin theirthrown or cutting position even though the ,clogging device maybe made ineffective. p

The invention resides in certain advancements in this art as set forthin ther ensuingl disclosure and' having, with the above additionalobjects and advantages as hereinafter developed,` and whoseconstructions, combinations-and-sub-com-y binations, and means anddetails of'means'will be made manifest in the following description ofthe herewith illustrative` tool; 'it being under stood thatmodifications;.vari-ations,.and adapta-v tions may be resorted to withinthe scope, spirit andi principles :of :the invention'- as particularly.claimedpresent1y.-. v

Figure l is a sectional elevation of ,a portion of ythe tool housingshowing position of the grabloing dogs in normal or free (from Work)position as when the tool is being lowered into a hole.' Figure 2 is atop plan of a dog controlling cam sleeve. Figure 3 is a longitudinalsection of the tool, in place about a fish part, and showing `the dogsin fish grabbing position to effect the setting of the fish cutters.Figure 4 is a sec,-vr tional detail showing the tool housing as upwardlyshifted and positively latched with respect to the clogging means.

The tool incorporates an external housing 2 the upper end of which issuitably attached -to the lower end of a string of washpipe 3 which notonly serves Wash water to the imperforate tool assembly but also rotatesthe housing in either direction as may be desired and later herein setforth. y

A 'feature of this invention is the provision .of a combined washovershoe and inner and outer roaming tooth system to greatly expedite lthejob of'gettingaccess to and work clear'the enf trapped fish F, apart ofwhich isI shown in place inthe tool. Therefore, a shoe 4 is aflixed tothe bottom of the housing and has an external set oil reaming Vteeth V5to bore out a hole larger than the tool diameter, and further the shoecarries an end or milling set of teeth 6 to out away obstructions at theend of the shoe.'

A set of any suitable form of fish or work cutters 8 is disposed in thebore of the foot of the housing 2; the cutters being mounted on pivots 9at their lower ends and normally pressed outward as by springs is'and ifdesired rigidly fixed near their nibs li as by sheer. pins l2 piercingthe housing. Just above the cutters is a wedge ring: i3 kturnably aixedto the housing by suitable: shear pins lli fitting peripheral slots l5in and allowing the ring to limitedly rotate.-- After the pins lli havebeen sheared to release the ring so that it may be jammed down on thecutters B the ring may be rotated to a degree determined by a stop nogor lug'l fixed in the housing and projecting into an L-slot Il in thering. When the nog "passes into the vertical limb of the L-slot then thesleeve is dead locked against rotation in the housing.

v Downward pressure on the ring i3 is directly` effected by a strongcompressible spring I8 en* gageable with the ring. A featureV of thisLin'- vention is that this spring is normally quite free anduncompressedand is held in open, expandedv position by a sheer pin i9, in thehousing 3 engaging an upper coil of the spring to suspend it, if desiredclear of the ring I3.

Means is provided and which is positively controlled by the interposedfish F to effect the powerful compression of the spring and thereby therelease of the ring from its shear pin or pins I4. This meansincorporates an elongate, hollow cylinder 20 open throughout its lengthfor water flow and ending at the upper end of the spring and adapted todirectly drive down thereon. Countersunk in and turna-ble on thecylinder is a short sleeve 2l fixed to the cylinder against axial shiftby pins 22 iitting peripheral slots 23 allowing limited rotation of thesleeve in the cylinder 20 while this is frictionally held by a brush orother suitable device 24 snugly bearing on the interposed sh; the sleevebeing turned to the right, in normal operations, by rotation of the washpipe 3 carrying the housing 2, as when driving down and rotating theshoe rearner.

Shear pins 22' rigidly fasten the sleeve 2I to the housing.

For the purpose of shearing all of the shear pins aforementioned a setof pivoted and inwardly tiltable fish grabbing or biting dogs 25 ismounted in respective slots 2B in the wall of the cylinder and the lowerends of the dogs have toes 21 which in idle position are pressed out, bysprings 28, to rest on the inner faces of relative, horizontal wedgecams 29 provided rigidly on the upper end of the sleeve 2 I.

After the tool has been worked down to and over the potential fish F tothe desired or possible extent severance of the sh can be accomplishedby tilting in and rotating the cutters 8. This is done by rotating thehousing and the pinned cam sleeve 2I to the left for the purpose ofreleasing the dogs by the wedge cams 29 so that the dogs will be tiltedin by their springs until the dogs bite into the fish; the dog carryingcylinder being frictionally held against rotation about the fish by thebrush 24. The next step is to pull on the tool string and the tool andas this shifts upv/ard as to the dogged cylinder this will rst shear thesleeve pins 22', and next will shear the spring pin I9. Additionalupward shift of the housing- 2 compresses the main spring I8 and finallyits pressure overcomes shear pins I4 and the wedge ring I3 shifts downand tilts the iish cutters in against the fish.

The L-slot Il in the ring I6 allows this latter to be locked to thehousing 2 as the nog I6 rises in the vertical limb of this slot and thenthe ring will be locked to and rotate in either direction with thehousing and still hold the cutters in effective position.

Means are provided to automatically and positively lock the main springI8 in its cutter pressing position after the spring has been compressedand whilst the barrel may be raised along the struck sh. The look meansincludes a suitable number of out-pressed spring latches 3U mounted inthe sleeve 2I which are adapted to snap out into respective keeper slots3| in the bore wall of the housing 2; as shown in` Fig, 4. The lockedcylinder still permits the housing to be rotated at will to the left orright as limited by the stop pin 22 so that the wedge cams 29 can openthe dogs from the fish and allow the tool to be shifted up Whilst thecutters are still compressed.

After severance of the engaged iish the upper cut off part is sustainedby the cutters as the tool and fish part are pulled from the well orhole.

The sleeve 2| has limited axial shift in the housing 2 by way of ahousing spline pin 2I working in a longitudinal slot 2I in the near faceof the sleeve. The wedge ring I3 has a brush or spring arm I3a tofrictionally hold onto the fish F while the pins I6 shift in the slotsin said ring.

For washover purposes the tool is repeatedly shifted up along the sh andpast collars or shoulders thereof so that additional drill pipe lengthsmay be coupled in the string as the hole is opened around the sh, sinceuntil the cutters 8 are finallyv set on the fish the tool is free forupward shift. The dogs 25 do not have to be set in until all Washing isdone.

What is claimed is:

l. A tool for cutting olf deep well sh, including a housing attachableto a washover pipe string, a set of inwardly tiltable cutters pivotallysupported in and on the housing, a wedge ring pinned to the housing, afeed spring engageable with the ring, a pin underhooking the upper endof the spring in expanded position in the housing, and means forshearing the spring pin and subjecting the spring to sufficient pressureto shear the wedge ring pin and free said wedge and therethrough set thecutters for work on the fish.

2. In a well fish cutting tool, a housing having a set of inwardlyyieldable fish cutters, a pinned wedge ring to contract the cutters ontoan encompassed sh, a normally free and expanded spring and a pinengaging and locking it in eX- panded position as to the ring, and ahousing actuated means for shearing said pin and releasing the springand compressing it onto the wedge ring` 3. The tool of claim 2; andmeans for corotatively interlocking the ring to the housing after thering has been unpinned.

4. A Well, nsh cutting tool including a housing attachable to a drivestring, a set of work engaging, normally inoperative cutters mounted inand on the housing, a wedgering for the cutters and shear pins rigidlyfixing it to the housing, an expanded main spring in the housing and ashear rest pin for its upper end, means in the housing to release thearrested spring from said pin and compress it against the ring and breakdown its shear pins and actuate the cutters by the released ring, and alocking pin to corotatively connect the unpinned ring to the housing.

5. The tool of claim 4; and means to latch the releasing means inconstant spring compressing position following release of the spring.

6. A well, sh cutting tool including a housing, a contractive set ofcutters and a contracting ring therefor, means holding the ring out ofeffect on the cutters, an expanded spring and a device for arresting itin expanded condition above the ring, a cylinder slidable and limitedlyrotative in the housing, frictional fish engaging means to restrain thecylinder against rotation with the housing, dogs mounted on the cylinderto bite into the fish on relative upward shift thereof as to the fish,and dog setting means mounted in the housing to elfect biting action ofthe dogs onto the fish; said cylinder operative on relative upward shiftof the housing, after the dogs are set, to compress the spring andrelease the ring to tilt the cutters.

7. The tool of claim 6; and means for locking the cylinder to thehousing in spring compressing position.

8. The tool of claim 6; and fastening means normally securing the dogsetting means to the housing to be turned therewith as to the cylinder.

9. The tool of claim 6; and shear pins rigidly ailixing the dog settingmeans to the housing to initially turn therewith independent of thecylinder.

10. The tool of claim 6; said setting means including a cam sleevepinned to the housing and having a cam device to release the dogs forbiting action, and a spline slidably connecting the sleeve to thehousing for shift after the sleeve pin is sheared.

11. The tool of claim 6; said setting means including a cam sleevesplined to the housing for axial shift and connected to the cylinder forrotation only thereon, relatively, and shear pinned to the housing.

12. The tool of claim 6; said means for setting the dogs including a camsleeve turnably splined to the cylinder and shear pinned to the housing,a spline connecting the sleeve to the housing for axial shift after thesleeve pin is sheared, and an automatic cylinder latch mounted in thesleeve to interlock with the housing.

13. A sh cutting tool of the class set forth and including a housinghaving a set of sh biting dogs, and housing carried and operated means 6whereby to retract the dogs from the biting position on the lsh.

14. The tool of claim 13; and automatic means for throwing the dogs intobiting position by release of the dogs from the retracted position.

15. The tool of claim 13; the said dogs constantly tending to tiltinward to effective position, and said means including a dog carryingcylinder turnable in the housing and having a device to frictionallyengage an interposed fish, and a cam sleeve rotative by the housing forreleasing the dogs for inward tilt and for positively retracting thedogs from biting position.

WILLIAM H. DUMBLE.

. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,277,600 Kammerer Sept. 3, 19181,521,596 Casey Jan. 6. 1925 2,054,278 Wright et al. Sept. 15, 19362,277,580 Carrothers Mar. 24, 1942 2,398,981 Waggener Apr. 23, 1946

